Snap-hook.



No. 7Ul,332.- J G Patanted June 3, I902.

SNA 0K.

(Application-filed Dec. 80, 1901.)

(No ModaL) UNITED STATES PATENT OEErcE.

JOSEPH GRIGG, OF OOLONIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO COVERT MANU- FAOTURINGCOMPANY, OF WATERVLIET, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEWV YORK.

SNAP-'HOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 701,332, dated June 3,1902". Application filed December 30,1901. Serial No. 87,767. (Nomodel.)

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH GRIGG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Colonic, in the county of Albany and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in-Snap-Hooks; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit apro pertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to an improvement in snap-hooks; and it isembodied in the construction and arrangement of parts presently to bedescribed and defined in the claim.

The invention relates more particularly to spring-tongue snap-hooks, andespecially to that type or class of spring-tongue snaphooks wherein ahollow keeper or shell is employed for a tongue. Such a construction isshown in Letters Patent No. 646,519, dated April 3, 1900.

In constructions heretofore suggested, including that shown in theaforesaid patent, there are many valuable qualities and fea- 2 5 tures,and from large experience it has been found that when the shell type oftongue is employed with the usual straight forward edge and groovedunder edge that the practical constant vibration of the ring or linkwhen secured in the space between the hook proper and the keeper edgewill batter the edge of the keeper to the extent that itis impossible toshove the same down to liberate the confined ring or link. In fact, itis often the case that the constant impact of the ring or link againstthe straight edge of the keeper will so batter the same as topractically destroy the utility of the snap-hook, and when the keeper isformed with the grooves in its 0 lower edge to make, in effect, cars atthe forward portion thereof these ears not being backed up by suitablereinforcements or flanges are bent out and distorted to a considerableextent.

The object of my invention is to overcome the obj ectionsheretoforeexisting; and to this end it consists, essentially, in forming theforward edges of the hollow keeper or tongue inclined backwardly anddownward, the inclination starting at the extreme forward upper edge andterminating at a point in the rear of the plane of the end of the billof the hook.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a hook with the hollowkeeper s0 fashioned and pivoted that when completely depressed therewill be no portion thereof which will project below the shank of thehook proper, so as to strike the thumb or finger of the operator in thedownward movement, and thereby arrest the movement of the tongue.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a form embodying theinvention; but slight changes in the general construction may be madewithout departing from the na ture or principle of the invention.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation showing the tongue or keeper depressed. Fig. 3 is an elevationshowing a portion of the keeper in section.

A designates the hook proper, having a point a, the same being of thewell-known construction. The hook proper has conveniently the eye B atone end, and on the upper portion of the shank proper is an extended earI), having a perforation therein.

0 designates the keeper, which is in the form of a shell, havingparallel sides 0 closely embracing the sides of the shank of the hook Sohaving an unbroken or continuous lower edge. The keeper is pivoted tothe extensionor ear 1) at a point substantially the center of its rearend, thus carrying the lower edge thereof well up on the shank of thehook, so that the tongue or keeper can be depressed without bringing thelower edge thereof below the lower edge of the shank. The forward end ofthe keeper is carried below the point a of the hook,'and the sides ofthe shell or keeper are from the extreme point cut away obliquelydownward and rearward, as at D, the inclined edges terminating at theextreme lower edge of the keeper. This construction of the forward edgeof the keeper forms an acute angle relative to the upperedge of theshank of the hook, and by cutting away the forward edge of the keeperthe lower forward corner or end of the lower edge is broughtsufficiently toward the rear as to prevent the mo same from coming belowthe loweredge of the shank. In practice when the ring or link isconfined the vibration will be received on the inclined surfaces of theforward edges of the keeper and will then be deflected onto the rigidshank portion. In this connection the impact is such as to necessarilytend to drive the keeper upward, owing to the inclination and theresistance of the shank, and I have found it necessary to continue theside of the keeper up directly to the point or end thereof, so as toprevent the breaking down or bending of the upper end under the nose orpoint of the hook.

While keepers for snap-hooks have been suggested with an inclinedforward edge, as far as I am aware I am the first to provide a hollowkeeper with such inclined edges and with continuous sides, whereby thegeneral form of the keeper is not destroyed or changed materially by thevibration of the confined ring or link, and, further, I believe I am thefirst to so construct the keeper and locate its pivot so that the edgethereof cannot be projected below the shank of the hook.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent, is

A snap-hook of the character described comprising a hook portion, and akeeper portion pivoted thereto formed with continuous unbroken dependingsides embracing the shank of the hook, and having continuous downwardlyand rearwardlyinclined forward edges extending from the extreme upperforward end thereof, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' JOSEPH GRIGG.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM CoLvIN, J r., ALBERT E. DAVIS.

